Creation of the city 1631-1642 (approximatif) (≈ 1637)
Transformation of the village into a planned city.
9 juin 1932
Front protection
Front protection 9 juin 1932 (≈ 1932)
Inventory of Historical Monuments.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facade and roof: inscription by decree of 9 June 1932
Key figures
Cardinal de Richelieu - Urban project sponsor
Initiator of the new city.
Jacques Lemercier - Chief Architect
Designer of city plans.
Origin and history
The house in Richelieu is part of an ambitious urban project launched by Cardinal Richelieu. Born in this village, he decided to transform it into a new town, whose plans were drawn up by the architect Jacques Lemercier, also responsible for the castle. The aim of this project was to create an ideal city, organized according to strict geometric principles: ditches, wall walls, monumental doors, and a network of symmetrical streets lined with aligned houses.
The city of Richelieu, with its houses like that of the Place des Religiouses, illustrates the application of urban theories of the classical era. The facades and roofs of this house were protected by a registration order for the Historic Monuments in 1932, demonstrating their heritage value. The precise address, 27 place des Religiouses, confirms its integration into this planned urban fabric, today classified in the department of Indre-et-Loire, in the region Centre-Val de Loire.
The historical context of Richelieu reflects the desire of a great political figure to mark his heritage with an architectural and urban realization. The city, conceived as a symbol of power and order, became a rational urban model in France in the seventeenth century. The houses, aligned according to a rigorous plan, were to embody both aesthetic harmony and the social discipline advocated by Richelieu.
